How the government responds to Eastern Kazakhstan’s 'own time zone' shift

Tengrinews.kz - Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Economy Serik Zhumangarin commented on the transition of some districts in the East Kazakhstan region to a "local time zone."

Speaking on the Mazhilis sidelines, Zhumangarin noted that he is not currently overseeing the time zone issue but still shared his opinion.

"As for the akimat’s decision, we’ve been discussing this for a long time. They have had the right to change working hours for a while now. It’s good that this process has begun. I believe it will resolve many issues," he said.

The deputy prime minister called the decision of some districts to switch to a "local time zone" the right one.

As a reminder, on January 5, residents of 17 villages in the Katon-Karagay district switched to their own work schedule, with working hours from 08:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. On February 24, residents of the Markakol and Ulken Naryn districts followed suit.

Starting March 5, residents of Zaysan, Kurchum, Tarbagatai, and Samar districts will also begin their workday one hour earlier.